Purpose

This study investigates to what extent strategic flexibility of international strategic alliances (ISAs) affects export performance of emerging market small and medium-sized enterprises (ESMEs) via international marketing capability in crises. It also examines whether these ESMEs’ adoption of digital technology strengthens the impact of strategic flexibility of ISAs on international marketing capability.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the international alliance and dynamic capability perspectives on strategic flexibility, the authors develop a conceptual model and empirically examine the mediation and moderation effects between strategic flexibility of ISAs, international marketing capability, export performance and adoption of digital technology. The authors collected survey data from 129 ESMEs located in Pakistan between May 2021 and August 2021 and tested the conceptual model with hierarchical-moderated regression analysis.

Findings

The findings suggest that strategic flexibility of ISAs positively impacts on export performance of ESMEs in crises. Moreover, the authors found that international marketing significantly mediates the relationship between strategic flexibility of ISAs and export performance of ESMEs. Also, the adoption of digital technologies significantly moderates the relationship between strategic flexibility of ISAs positively and international marketing capability.

Originality/value

The authors take strategic flexibility of ISAs in the context of the emerging market and how ESMEs enhance export performance in a time of crisis, which extends the prior ESMEs’ international marketing strategy and crisis management literature. In particular, the authors show that strategic flexibility of ISAs is a vital dynamic capability to enhance export performance of ESMEs via international marketing capability and adoption of digital technologies.

中文翻译：

---

增强危机中新兴市场中小企业的国际营销能力和出口绩效：战略灵活性和数字技术

目的

本研究调查国际战略联盟 (ISA) 的战略灵活性在何种程度上通过危机中的国际营销能力影响新兴市场中小企业 (ESME) 的出口绩效。它还检查了这些 ESME 对数字技术的采用是否加强了 ISA 的战略灵活性对国际营销能力的影响。

设计/方法/途径

基于战略灵活性的国际联盟和动态能力视角，作者开发了一个概念模型，并实证检验了 ISA 的战略灵活性、国际营销能力、出口绩效和数字技术采用之间的中介和调节作用。作者收集了 2021 年 5 月至 2021 年 8 月期间位于巴基斯坦的 129 家 ESME 的调查数据，并使用层次调节回归分析测试了概念模型。

发现

研究结果表明，ISA 的战略灵活性对 ESME 在危机中的出口绩效产生积极影响。此外，作者发现国际营销显着调节 ISA 的战略灵活性与 ESME 的出口绩效之间的关系。此外，数字技术的采用显着缓和了 ISA 的战略灵活性和国际营销能力之间的关系。

原创性/价值

作者在新兴市场的背景下采用 ISA 的战略灵活性，以及​​ ESME 如何在危机时期提高出口绩效，这扩展了之前 ESME 的国际营销战略和危机管理文献。作者特别指出，ISA 的战略灵活性是通过国际营销能力和采用数字技术来提高 ESME 出口绩效的重要动态能力。